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14 clothing brands that people loved a decade ago but that no longer exist
14 clothing brands that people loved a decade ago but that no longer exist
Bethany BironOct 16, 2019, 19:08 IST
Mike Mozart/Flickr
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The last decade proved particularly difficult for clothing brands, which struggled to compete against the rise of e-commerce, dwindling foot traffic in malls, and the lingering effects of the recession.
While some brands were able to successfully fend off the retail apocalypse, others weren't so lucky.
We took a look at the beloved clothing brands that are no longer with us as we move into the 2020s.
The end of the decade looms near, and with it comes a period of reflection for the many beloved clothing brands we lost along the way.
While department stores were particularly hard hit as part of the ongoing retail apocalypse, several popular mall brands also met their demise in the 2010s. Fashion retailers found themselves in an increasingly crowded retail graveyard after failing to stay afloat against the choppy waters of e-commerce competition, the rise of direct-to-consumer brands, dwindling foot traffic, and the lingering effects of the recession.
Teen shoppers proved particularly fickle in the last decade, as the difficulties of catering to millennial tastes transitioned to the complexity of parsing the proclivities of Gen Z. Several brands of the 2010s over-indexed on hyper-sexualized styles, or else failed to appeal to shifting consumer sentiments.
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"The sexy collegiate image fit into the age of 'Gossip Girl' and '90210,' but now it feels like it's grounded in an era that's at least 10 years old,"analyst Wendy Liebmann told New York magazine in 2014. "I don't think shoppers in the U.S. and Canada have totally walked away. But, as a whole, I think shoppers have moved on."
Though some retailers were able to successfully reinvent themselves - rolling out revamped strategies, debuting new styles, and succumbing to the digital age - others weren't so lucky.
We took a closer look at some of the clothing brands we lost in the past 10 years. RIP.
The popular '90s brand, known for its whimsical clothing and equally playful catalogs, officially closed its doors in 2014 after several consecutive years of waning sales.
Though Delia's has since relaunched an e-commerce site — with the help of collaborations from trendy designers like Dolls Kill — it will never quite be the same.
Wet Seal
Wet Seal — the mall brand known for its trendy and affordable clothing for teen girls — permanently shuttered its remaining 171 stores in 2017, after first closing 338 back in 2015 before filing for bankruptcy.
Arden B
Owned by Wet Seal, Arden B hit the scene as a "sexed-up separates brand" in 1998, intended to compete with stores like Bebe and Express, according to Fashionista. In 2014, Arden B said goodbye for good, just a few years before its parent company did.
American Apparel
In January 2017, American Apparel announced it would close all 110 of its stores around the nation, laying off 2,400 Southern California employees in the process. Though you can still purchase American Apparel products on its revamped website, gone are the days of seeing its racy ads in store windows.
Payless ShoeSource
After filing for bankruptcy not once, but twice, the discount shoe company Payless ShoeSource finally decided to call it quits in 2019, when it announced it would close all of its US stores permanently.
Ruehl No.925
The short-lived Ruehl No.925 was created by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. in 2004 to "extend beyond its core teenage market to include older customers with more expensive tastes," the New York Times reported in 2005.
Ruehl quickly became known for its incredibly dark stores and blaring music that emulated "a plushy nightclub," before it shut down permanently in January 2010 as a result of poor sales.
Gilly Hicks
Gilly Hicks (which was also an Abercrombie & Fitch Co. brainchild) may have shuttered its US stores, but you can still find its bras and underwear at select Hollister locations.
The Limited
The Limited closed its remaining 250 stores in 2017, cutting 4,000 jobs in the process. Sycamore Partners later acquired the brand, giving Belk exclusive distribution rights to The Limited, and the department-store chain has since sold its products online-only.
Women's retailer Deb Shops officially closed in 2015 after filing for bankruptcy the previous year, though in the years since it has revitalized itself as an online- and catalog-only brand.
Anchor Blue
The California-based teen store originally known as Miller's Outpost closed its 117 stores in 2011 after struggling to keep up with competitors like American Eagle and PacSun.
Martin + Osa
In 2006, American Eagle Outfitters launched Martin + Osa, a more mature brand designed for consumers in their mid-30s. However, the brand took a major hit during the recession and lost $33 million in 2009, causing it to subsequently close for good in 2010.
Roberto Cavalli
Luxury fashion brand Roberto Cavalli filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and closed all of its US stores earlier this year, citing "significant financial distress," according to Retail Dive.
A'gaci
A'gaci announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year and said it would close all 54 of its store locations as part of the process.
